Research into the Obama campaign apparatus, for other purposes, has revealed an interesting tidbit. In May 2012, George Soros ended his alleged fence-sitting on Obama by donating $1,000,000 to each of two super PACs supporting Obama, America Votes Action, and American Bridge 21st Century. America Votes Action is vaguely described as a super PAC which trains progressives to organize. American Bridge 21st Century is a super PAC devoted solely to opposition research, or, in the vernacular, dirt and dirty tricks.

Both super PACs have related foundations with undisclosed contributors. A reading of the FEC reports of both committees shows untraceable funds either as transfers from affiliated foundations and non-profits, or as direct contributions from shell corporations — perfectly legal under the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United. Despite the fact that American Bridge provides the majority of opposition research flowing directly to Priorities U.S.A. — the key Obama super PAC — in addition to the DNC, the Democratic Senatorial Committee, and the House Democratic Committee, so long as it does not directly coordinate with Obama's campaign, this outsourced apparatus is perfectly legal.

Until recently, the research director of American Bridge was Shauna Daly, who headed opposition research for Obama's 2008 campaign and was thought important enough to be posted to the White House — an assignment which provoked Republican furor and which resulted in her reassignment to the DNC where she led research efforts prior to assuming her post at American Bridge.